COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know this weekend

• Quebec reported 1,223new caseson Sunday and 31more deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been262,583confirmed cases and 9,794people have died.
• There are 1,136people in hospital (adecrease of 27), including 191in intensive care (adecrease of 10).
• 84 doses ofvaccine were administered Friday. A total of 238,227doses have been administered since Dec. 14, accounting for 2.79per cent of the population.
• Did you lose a loved one to COVID-19 in the past year? Send us a note if you'd like toshare their story

Data reported by Quebec on Sunday shows the number of people in hospital for COVID-19 dropped for a fifth straight day, and intensive care bed occupancy declined for the fourth day in a row.

Health Minister Christian Dubsaid on Twitter the downward trend in hospitalizations will allow the province to resume some of the surgeries that had been delayed because of the December surge in infections.

Premier Franois Legaultis due to give an update on the government's pandemic response on Tuesday. In a Facebook post Saturday, he indicated he may relax some restrictions in the days ahead, while maintainingothers.

Radio-Canada is reporting the government is studying the possibility of allowing some non-essential businesses to reopen in the second week of February, with specific sanitary measures in place.

Legault and other top officials have attributed the recent decrease in cases to thecurfewthat's been in place since Jan. 9.

According to Radio-Canada, the government is studying the possibility of extending the curfew past Feb. 8, the dateit was supposed to end.

Spacesuit to scrubs

Quebec astronaut David Saint-Jacques is returning to his roots, donning scrubs to help with the pandemic at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

Saint-Jacques, who is also a medical doctor,began a training stint this week in the hospital's COVID units.

He said a key thing to remember is that COVID-19 doesn't just affect the elderly or patients with serious pre-existing conditions.

"That struck me the first time I admitted someone into my care, a man my age, who was not particularly sick before," he said. "For him, COVID was a disaster."

The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, and experts say it's important to remember that there is a lot right now that is beyond our control.

If you have been feelingisolated, we've compiledsome ways to help cope as part ofa special CBC Quebec project calledOut of the Dark: Real Talk on Mental Health.

Top COVID-19 stories today

• Quebec is devoting more resources toward testing forvariants of COVID-19.
• A judge has ruled thatQuebec's curfew does not applyto homeless population.
• Montral-Nordisstill reeling from COVID-19and community groups say residents feel abandoned.
• Quebec could loosen restrictionsin some regions next month.
• The province's major media outlets issue aunanimous call for more accessto health installations.
• Montreal public health directorapologizes over rule confusionafter police raid synagogues.
• AMontrealHeart Institute studysuggests a widely available anti-inflammatory drug is an effective COVID-19 treatment.
• CBC'sinteractivecoronavirus trackerwithcases, hospitalizations and vaccinations across Canada.
• Here's alist of acceptable reasons for being outafter curfew in Quebec.